Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
“James is dead!” Mergan snarled, veins bulging on his temples as he struggled against the guards. “She belongs with me…”
Taylor delivered a swift kick to Mergan’s side, forcing him to bend over in pain, momentarily draining his strength to resist. “Stop obsessing,” Taylor said coldly. “Even if you keep her here against her will, you’ll only end up with an empty shell, a lifeless puppet-or worse, a corpse. We owe her too much already. Don’t be the one who finally destroys her.”
Mergan covered his face, trembling with anguish. Was it truly unbearable for her to be with him? How had everything fallen apart so completely? Once, she had leaned on him the most, trusted him above all. But now, he was powerless to hold on.
His eyes drifted to the blood-stained shard lying on the floor. For a moment, he hesitated. He couldn’t bring himself to force her to stay-not when the risk was so terrifyingly real that he might drive her to her death.
Taylor watched Mergan’s broken, desperate figure with a pang of pity. Yet, no matter how much he felt for Mergan’s pain, Lily’s life was not something to sacrifice for it. They had failed her too many times already. From this moment forward, all Taylor wanted was to protect her, to make amends-not add to her suffering.
Turning away from Mergan, Taylor took Lily’s arm gently and led her out of the room.
In the car, Bodger glanced at the cut on Lily’s neck, his voice full of concern. “Lily, we should go to the hospital first. That wound needs to be treated.”
Without a first-aid kit on hand, the nearest hospital was their only option. Lily paused, considering, then nodded silently.
When she had been trapped, her only desperate wish was to return to the Luke manor-to see James one last time. But now that she was free, a sudden wave of fear crashed over her. She was terrified to go back, afraid her worst fears would be confirmed. The hospital visit was a stalling tactic, a way to avoid facing the truth.
Bodger and Taylor drove her to the private hospital closest to Mergan’s villa. Lily’s thoughts were consumed by worry for the babies growing inside her. After a doctor carefully treated the cut on her neck, she insisted on a thorough check-up in the OB-GYN department.
Thankfully, the results were good.
Clutching the report in her hand, Lily stepped out of the doctor’s office, ready to ask Bodger and Taylor to finally take her to the Luke manor. But then, she saw him-James.
Lily’s heart pounded in her chest as she stood frozen in the dimly lit hospital corridor, her mind struggling to grasp the reality before her eyes. Could this be some cruel trick of her imagination, a hallucination conjured by the ache of missing him so deeply? Or was she trapped in a dream, desperate to wake up and find him by her side? The uncertainty gnawed at her.
In a desperate attempt to ground herself, she pinched her arm sharply. The sting was real and immediate-proof enough that this was no illusion. James was alive.
He looked different-noticeably thinner, his frame more fragile than she remembered-but his face, that familiar handsome face, was unmistakable. The sight of him stirred a torrent of emotions within her: relief, longing, and an aching sorrow.
She yearned to run to him, to wrap her arms around him and never let go.
“James…” she whispered, her voice trembling with hope.
But he was already far down the hallway, his back turned away from her. Just as she was about to break into a run, a new, painful detail caught her attention. Standing close to him was a young woman, strikingly beautiful. The woman’s soft voice floated to Lily’s ears: “The doctor said the baby is doing great…”
Lily’s heart sank. The elevator doors slid open, and James and the woman stepped inside together, disappearing from view.
The maternity report she clutched slipped from her fingers, fluttering to the floor like a wounded bird.
She could hardly believe what she had just witnessed. After all she had endured, after months of despair and searching, the moment she finally saw James again, he was with someone else-accompanying another woman to a prenatal checkup.
“Lily…” The gentle voice of Bodger broke through her daze.
Bodger and Taylor had lingered behind to ask the doctor a few more questions and emerged just moments after her. Their eyes immediately found Lily, and the sight of her tear-streaked face and shattered expression pierced their hearts.
“Why are you crying?” Bodger asked, stepping closer with concern etched on his face. “Who hurt you?”
Taylor’s voice was soft but urgent. “Lily, please say something. Did someone hurt you?”
Lily’s mind reeled, torn between the humiliation of what she had seen and the bitter truth she refused to accept. The Ginger family, once thought of as kin, now felt like enemies. She couldn’t bring herself to share the painful truth with Bodger and Taylor.
Instead, she forced her voice to sound steady and distant. “Take me to the villa. The one I share with James.”
She had a strong feeling he would be there.
The image of James with another woman was a crushing blow, but as the initial shock faded, a stubborn hope took root. James had always been kind to her, had promised to love only her. Could it really be possible that after just over two weeks of her absence, he had moved on so quickly? She refused to believe it.
She needed to find him, to understand what was happening.
“Lily…” Bodger’s voice was filled with worry as he looked at her red-rimmed eyes and fresh tear tracks.
Both he and Taylor wanted nothing more than to wipe away her tears, to comfort her. But the cold distance in her gaze warned them off, and they fell silent, no longer pressing for answers.
They silently vowed to be better to her, to stand by her side no matter what, hoping that one day she might call on them again.
The villa where Lily and James lived was quiet and unguarded, with no servants or security at the gate. She knew the code and entered without hesitation.
Moments later, Taylor’s car pulled up in front of the main house.
“You can go now,” Lily said quietly.
Taylor hesitated. “I’ll take you to the Luke family manor…”
Neither Bodger nor Taylor had seen James at the hospital. They feared the worst-that James might be dead-and worried that Lily, alone in a home filled with memories, might be overwhelmed. They wanted to stay close, to protect her.
“That’s not necessary,” Lily replied, her voice distant and firm, drawing a clear boundary. “James is alive. I just saw him.”
Her eyes flicked up toward the second floor, where the light in the master bedroom glowed softly. He was probably inside.
“Really? James is alive?” Bodger and Taylor exchanged a look of profound relief, the tension in their shoulders easing.
“That’s good,” Taylor murmured. “As long as he’s alive…”
Lily’s heart swelled with a fragile happiness. Her world still revolved around James, and knowing he was alive gave her hope.
“This time, Mergan tried to imprison me,” she said, her voice cold and distant as she faced Bodger and Taylor. “You two saved me.”
She paused, her gaze hardening. “I won’t press charges for what happened. But I want you-and Mergan-to leave me alone. I once thought of you as family. Now, I despise you. If you truly want to make amends, then let’s be strangers. From now on, even if we meet, we’ll act as if we’ve never known each other.”
“Lily!” Their voices were filled with pain, pleading.
Neither of them wanted to become strangers to her. They had hoped that with time, patience, and effort, she might come to see them as brothers again. But they understood the wounds ran too deep.
After a long, heavy silence, Bodger finally spoke in a hoarse voice. “Don’t worry. We won’t bother you again.”
Taylor nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on Mergan and make sure he doesn’t cause any more trouble.”
“Lily, please take care of yourself,” Bodger added softly. “Don’t let anyone hurt you again.”
Lily nodded, her heart still aching but strengthened by the resolve to face whatever came next. r 644 A Dream of Her Return
“If… if James ever dares to harm you, you must tell us immediately. We’ll protect you, no matter what it takes-even if it costs us our lives.”
Bodger and Taylor spoke with heartfelt earnestness, their eyes filled with genuine concern. Yet, Lily felt nothing but a cold numbness settling over her, an indifferent barrier shielding her from their words.
If only they had never hurt her, all for Mathilda’s sake, she might have always seen them as family. Their pledges of protection could have warmed her heart, moved her deeply. But after all the times they had led the charge in tormenting, bullying, and hurting her, every one of those promises now rang hollow, laced with bitter irony.
“You should leave.”
Lily’s voice was calm, distant, as she turned on her heel and walked away, heading toward the living room.
“Lily…”
Bodger and Taylor instinctively moved to follow her, but something in the air stopped them. They sensed the depth of her revulsion, the way she couldn’t even bear to look at them anymore.
Fearful that staying a moment longer would only deepen her disgust, they reluctantly retreated. Despite their reluctance, they climbed into their car and drove off, their spirits heavy with defeat.
Taylor had purposely driven slowly on the way there, hoping to spend more time with Lily. But James had arrived home nearly half an hour before her.
The door to the master bedroom was left slightly open.
Lily pushed it gently, and the immediate rush of alcohol hit her senses. The scent wasn’t unpleasant in itself, but as it enveloped her, her eyes stung sharply, a sudden ache that seemed to pierce straight into her heart.
Stepping fully inside, she noticed several empty bottles scattered across the table-all of them high-proof liquors.